Just Another Game
by Always a Bookworm
Summary: Dear Seto, I don't know how to start, that’s the problem. I suppose I can only say: I love you, I always did." Seto may not remember Ancient Egypt, but Atemu can't forget the priest he fell in love with all that time ago. Scandalshipping, for contest.


**Hello again! This one's Scandalshipping (Pharaoh Atemu x Priest Set), written for Round 7 of Compy's contest. Although it's not one of my favourite pairings, I'm actually quite pleased with what I came up with.**

**Pairings: AtemuxSet (Scandalshipping) and YamixSeto (Prideshipping)**

**Prepare yourselves for one heck of a lot of fluff! ^^ Hope you like it!**

* * *

Dear Seto,

I don't know how to start, that's the problem. So many things to say, so many stories to tell, in so little time, and I can't even get the first few words out. Okay, I'll breathe… In, out, in, out. Sometimes it's hard just to remember to do that. Sorry, I'm babbling. You don't like it when people babble. You like things to be clear and concise. But the problem is that the story I have to tell you isn't clear. It isn't concise. It's complicated; it's like a chess game. Like a puzzle. Just another game, Seto.

I think you'd be surprised how we ended up, if you remembered the whole story. I really do. Maybe you believe now, after all the things you've seen, you believe that I used to be a Pharaoh, and that you used to be my High Priest, my right-hand man.

But you don't really know anything, Seto. You don't know that you used to be so much more than just my right-hand. You were my left-hand, my right leg, my left leg, my head, my heart, my soul; you were everything about me, because I loved you, Seto.

But that was another world, and another life. And now that everything has changed, I sometimes wonder if we could have gone back to what we were.

But in the end, it was just a game. That's all.

* * *

"Priest Set! Priest Set!"

The tall man turned, irritably, from his work in the palace library to see that little student of Mahado's (What was her name? Oh, Mana, that was it) standing behind his chair, face flushed with anxiety, twisting her hands together, and looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"Yes?" he said, tersely.

"Sir, you've got to come and help! Atemu's fallen out of a tree, and I think he's broken something, and everyone else has gone with the Pharaoh to inspect the new Temple of Ra, and I don't know what to do, and he's in so much pain, and you've got to help-"

Set cut her babble off before the poor girl turned hysterical.

"Where?" he asked, in a slightly gentler tone. He tried to keep the worry out of his voice- Atemu couldn't be hurt _that_ badly…

Mana tried to stop the tears pouring down her cheeks. "O-outside, under the pomegranate tree."

Seto immediately pushed his chair back, and strode out of the door, Mana hurrying to keep up.

He was by Atemu's side in a few minutes, bending over the leg that was bent at an odd angle, an uncharacteristic expression of concern lacing his features. Atemu's face was streaked with tears, and he stared at his broken leg with a mixture of anger and pain.

Mana kneeled behind his head. "It's alright, Atemu, Set can take care of it, you're going to be fine…" she murmured, managing to keep the wobble out of her voice.

Set shot her a look of grateful admiration. Mana's calm act would hopefully keep Atemu from getting too upset himself; the last thing Set needed was two hysterical teenagers on his hands.

Set prodded the leg with soothing fingers, checking expertly for the injury. After a few minutes of this, Atemu forced out through gritted teeth, "It's fixable, right? You can help me?"

Set nodded, "It's a clean break; it'll be simple to set. You should be up and walking again in under two months. You're very lucky the bone didn't shatter, because that could have crippled you for life. You must be more careful in the future, my Prince," he finished, sternly.

Atemu tried to smile, but only just managed a grimace. Set frowned.

"Mana, go and fetch the palace doctor. I'll carry Atemu to his chamber."

Mana nodded, pale faced, and flew off. Set bent down, and carefully picked Atemu up. The younger boy was light in his arms, and Set looked down to see that Atemu had closed his eyes in pain. The priest tightened his grip around the Prince, and walked faster to Atemu's bed-chamber, trying to ignore the nagging fear at the pit of his stomach. What if he was wrong, what if Atemu's leg wasn't a clean break? What if the prince could never walk again? He knew Atemu; being unable to walk and run would kill him. He'd waste away spending the rest of his life in a chair.

It seemed to take several agonising weeks to get Atemu to his bedroom, but he finally lowered the ashen-faced boy onto his bed, as gently as he possibly could. Atemu hissed in pain as his leg was jolted, screwing up his face in pain, and Set's stomach lurched.

"You'll be fine, Atemu," Set assured him (although he wasn't sure whether he was comforting the prince or himself).

Atemu reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Th-thank… you… Set," he managed to say.

Set sat down on the edge of his bed, squeezing Atemu's small hand. "You don't need to thank me, Atemu, I'll always be here."

The boy grinned, pulling Set down to crush their lips together in a brief kiss.

"I know."

Set smiled.

* * *

Atemu was confined to his bed for a month, and even after that he was forbidden to walk any distance, or attempt stairs, for another few weeks. He was allowed to hobble to a wicker-chair which was then wheeled into the garden, where Atemu had to sit for hours, reading, studying or talking to his friends. He may have been relieved that he wasn't going to be crippled for life, but he became extremely frustrated by being confined to his chair for so long, especially when Mana wasn't there because of her training with Master Mahado.

So Set kept him company. He rarely left the prince's side, sitting next to him in the garden, bringing him food or treats to cheer him up, and, best of all, playing games with him.

It was one day over a game of Senet that Atemu said, nonchalantly:

"Set, do you love me?"

Set stared at him with an incredulous expression. He ignored the sun beating down on the garden, the buzz of the insects, the occasional burst of bird-song. Atemu studied him, serenely, as though he had just asked Set to tell him the time.

The priest remained silent for a few minutes, looking intently at the prince. Although his mind was in a whirl, it was very hard to concentrate on this when Atemu was looking so unfairly beautiful today. Bronze skin, wild hair, those wondrous eyes… No, Set, concentrate!

Finally, he nodded, very slowly. "Yes. Yes, I suppose I do."

Atemu's face crinkled into a beaming smile. He leaned over the Senet board and kissed Set, slowly and thoughtfully, putting his arms around the taller boy. They stayed like that for quite some time, lost in the magic that seemed to explode between them whenever they kissed. They paid no attention to anything around them, the only thing that mattered was them, nothing else existed, they were caught in a bright cascade of fire, they must have been sitting on stars, because no pleasure on earth was like this…

"Hey, lovebirds!" Mana's catcall came from behind them. They drew apart to glare at her; she just grinned innocently. "Mahado sent me to tell Set that the Pharaoh wants to see him."

Set made a face, standing up and brushing off his clothes. He bent down to kiss Atemu again, and then walked past Mana into the palace.

Mana, a grin plastered to her face, hurried over to Atemu and flopped down on the grass.

"Someone's in lo-ove," she sang, laughing at the blush that spread across Atemu's face.

Atemu contemplated throwing an apple at her.

"Oh, be quiet," he said, trying to sound annoyed, but not quite managing to wipe the smile off his face.

There was a moment of silence.

Then: "Atemu's in love, Atemu's in love-"

She narrowly dodged the apple aimed at her head.

* * *

"I don't think I ever said it back."

Set turned his head, blinking as he opened his eyes against the sunlight. They were lying on a bank near the Nile, watching the boats that sailed by carefully avoiding the hippos lazing in the water, hands entwined.

"Hmm?" he answered, sleepily.

Atemu was staring up at the clear blue sky, thoughtfully.

"I don't think I ever said it back. You know, 'I love you'."

Set didn't say anything.

There was a pause. "I do, though. I love you."

Set pushed himself up on one elbow, and grinned at the younger boy. "You never needed to say it."

Atemu nodded, pulling Set on top of him, and pressing their lips together. Set smiled as they broke apart, and breathed, "I don't think we should be doing this in full view of your father."

Atemu started up in shock, pushing Set off of him, to look wildly around for his father. (Although Akunumkanon knew about his son and Set, that didn't mean to say he would be particularly happy to find Set lying on top of his son kissing him rather heatedly.)

"Wh- where?" Atemu mumbled, in confusion, trying to smooth down his hair.

Set started to laugh. "I can't believe you fell for that!"

Atemu scowled, as it dawned on him that Set had just been joking, and kicked the taller boy's leg. This just made him laugh harder, and eventually Atemu's lips twitched into a grudging smile.

Set wasn't like this around anyone else, Atemu thought. He's always so… formal, and polite. But when he's with me, he laughs and he actually jokes. He's different. And I make that happen.

A warm feeling filled Atemu, from his toes to the top of his head, as he watched Set gasp with laughter, and he leaned his head against the older boy's chest.

"I love you," he whispered, just because he liked saying it.

"I love you too," came the immediate answer.

* * *

I only had time to tell you of a few moments that we had together. There were so many, even if they were tiny, insignificant details, like the way you used to hold my hand under the table at supper, or the way you'd actually play me at those board games, instead of deliberately losing because I was the Pharaoh.

Who would have thought that we would have been torn apart? At that moment, on the Nile Bank, I honestly believed that we were forever. Nothing could destroy us, nothing. But I suppose fate got in the way. I loved you right till the end, though, you should know that. Right before I sealed my soul in the Puzzle, up until the very last second before my mind was ripped to pieces and hidden away, I remembered you. I remembered your kiss, your laugh, your touch, your voice, your love.

And when I woke up, all those millennia later, in a strange body, there was this ache in my mind. I knew that I'd lost something important.

I'm sitting now on the boat to my final resting place. Yuugi's letting me have control for a bit- he knows there is something I want to do. I _need_ to do.

I know you're a different person now, but I just had to tell you. I think my feelings for Set must attached themselves to you, or something, because I can tell you right now that I love you, Seto Kaiba. Like I love Set. Or are you the same person after all? Does Set's soul live in you? The heart is a crazy thing. I must be in love with both of you. I'm confused, but at the same time I'm seeing everything clearly.

I'll have Yuugi give this to you after the duel. I know I'll lose, and I know it's time for me to move on. I don't know what will happen, I really don't. Everything's such a mess.

I suppose I must have lost the game.

I love you. (Both of you).

Forever yours,

Atemu

Seto read, and re-read the letter in his hand, staring expressionlessly at the cramped lettering. It was hard to believe, but at the same time very, very easy.

"What did he say?" a tearful voice said. Seto looked up to see Yuugi standing in front of him. He looked completely exhausted, and yet despite that he'd still come to find Seto and give him the letter from Atemu.

Seto swallowed the lump in his throat, as he glanced back at the letter he clutched in his hand.

"Nothing important," he lied, folding the letter up and putting it in his pocket. "Just some stuff about games."

* * *

**Point of random interest: The Ancient Egyptians were very medically advanced for their time, and setting bones would have been simple. However, they probably wouldn't be able to fix a shattered leg bone. (I clearly have way too much time on my hands if I do that much research for a one-shot...)**

**Hope you liked it! And yes, I know, the ending was a bit weird/confusing. Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated! **

**Bookworm**


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